If Pat Miletich was Georges St-Pierre, he’d be leaning towards fighting Anderson Silva over Johny Hendricks.
Hendricks has been on a roll as of late, ousting three straight top welterweight contenders. At UFC 154, he knocked out Martin Kampmann in 46 seconds.
Miletich believes Hendricks’ rare combination of knockout power and world class wrestling makes him an intriguing opponent for St-Pierre, even more so than Silva.
“I think Johny Hendricks might have a unique game that may go as a serious risk for GSP,” the former UFC welterweight champ said during an interview on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Rewind” show.
Miletich continued:
[St-Pierre] may get a takedown, but he’s not holding Hendricks down. I think Hendricks is obviously a good enough wrestler, a strong enough guy when he’s coming back up. And Hendricks has some serious one-punch knockout power. When he hits people, he’s sliding them across the ice.
If I’m Georges St. Pierre, to be honest with you, I’m probably going to lean towards fighting Anderson Silva…There’s a hell of a lot more to gain obviously with [fighting Silva], but that might even, to be honest with you, be a safer fight for him.
After nearly a two-year hiatus, St-Pierre took a unanimous decision over Carlos Condit in his Octagon return over the weekend at UFC 154.
UFC President Dana White remains determined to set up a superfight between St-Pierre and Silva, but the French Canadian seems reluctant to move up in weight.
If St-Pierre stays at welterweight, Hendricks will likely be named the No. 1 contender for the UFC title.
Stylistically, Hendricks presents plenty of problems for St-Pierre. He was a two-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion at Oklahoma State University, and his one-punch knockout power is second to none in the entire welterweight division.
With that said, it’s a rather bold statement in claiming Hendricks is a more dangerous opponent than Silva, who is widely considered the top pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.
Silva lacks a strong wrestling base, but he more than makes up for it with otherworldly striking, black belt level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
There is no easy way out.
Whether St-Pierre chooses Silva or Hendricks, he faces the biggest test of his professional career.
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